The final episode of season three...
by PkGrl
Summary: After a summery of events leading up to the final moments of this potential season three finale, we see what Scorpy has in store for Aeryn and John...


1 Title: 0322  
  
Author: pkgrl  
  
Category: Drama  
  
Rating: PG for some violence  
  
2 Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or situations and make no money from their use. They just keep invading my thoughts, so I thought I'd take them out for a spin. They seemed to like it, so I'll probably do it again sometime, but for now...  
  
3  
  
4 "Previously on Farscape"-A Synopsis so far  
  
A raid on Scorpius' new Gammak base has resulted in the capture of information on Scorpy's whereabouts, but nothing on his worm hole research. The raid also resulted in injury to Talyn due to a new Pk surge weapon that damaged the gunship's systems including his sensors and the neuro-link with Crais, leaving Talyn nearly blind and without a captain. D'Argo (in his Growler) and Chi, Jool, Rygel and Pilot (in Moya) inflicted more damage on the base and led Talyn to safety.  
  
Over the next two weekens, it has become obvious that Crais' neuro- link cannot be reestablished, but Talyn has produced another transponder. Aeryn stepped up to take command, against John's protests, and began planning a more successful assault against Scorpy's command carrier.  
  
In the attack, D'Argo got John, Crais and Aeryn aboard, while Talyn flew cover, secured the landing bay against the Pks, sealing it, and waited in spite of injuries he'd suffered in order to get them there.  
  
John and Aeryn, still estranged, but arguing openly now, made their way to command with Crais. With a bit of cosmetic disguise designed to fool only the most cursory observers, John and Aeryn plant explosives. After deeming the explosives too weak to do any real, long-lasting damage to the carrier itself, John opted to turn them into sabotage devices planted in the main computer system to overheat and turn the carrier's brains into slag, taking the worm hole tech with it.  
  
Escaping a short firefight, the three kill several Pks, including lieutenant Braca, and race back to the landing bay and D'Argo's Growler.  
  
"Now, on Farscape" -- End of Episode 0322  
  
"Right!" Aeryn commanded.  
  
John complied immediately, raising Winona as two more Pks came into view. John shot both without thinking and continued running down the carrier's corridor, Aeryn and Crais thudding behind him.  
  
"Left at the end of this corridor," Aeryn huffed.  
  
John recognized the way now. Left at the end of this corridor, then strait through the door at the end of the next. That's where they'd find D'Argo waiting in his Growler. He only hoped his friend would be ready. Communications had been out since they boarded the command carrier, and D'Argo was wounded.  
  
Things had not gone as planned, as usual, but John really thought he'd managed to improvise a workable alternative. Neither Crais nor Aeryn had liked it, had in fact objected to it, but they did play along. Now, as far as Crichton knew, the worm hole research Scorpy had amassed was being turned into slag as the modified grenades overheated and burned through the ship's central systems. John just hoped the slow burn would allow him and his friends time enough to get away alive once again.  
  
End of the corridor, left. No more Pks between them and their door to freedom.  
  
Aeryn spoke again between panting breaths. "Straight to the-"  
  
"I know, Aeryn," John finally interrupted and instantly regretted it as Aeryn's next words were spat out to him.  
  
"You must have amassed quite a bit of knowledge on command carriers when I was away."  
  
Crais remained thankfully silent, but Aeryn's words only served to remind them all that John and Aeryn had spent too much time apart, and that this one was not "her" John.  
  
Anger quickly overcame regret, and John cried back defensively, "We were just here, Aeryn. Now get off my back."  
  
"Gladly," Aeryn retorted, although John didn't think she sounded the least bit glad. "Off your back."  
  
"I suggest," Crais finally offered, "that we cease all unnecessary conversation. We're almost at the landing bay."  
  
He was right, too. In half a dozen steps, John arrived at the landing bay personnel door. It stayed shut. Slapping his lock resequencer onto the mechanism, John waited as the others slid to a halt beside him. He resolutely refused to look at Aeryn. The instant the resequencer clicked and the door slid open, John burst through and dashed straight towards D'Argo's black Growler, waving his arms at the cockpit window.  
  
A pulse blast, a stifled cry, and the cessation of Aeryn's bootfalls stopped him short. Aeryn's pulse pistol slid to a halt at his heel.  
  
John turned slowly. Although not surprised by what he saw, it nonetheless caused new convulsions of guilt and anxiety.  
  
Crais sunk to his knees, his torso ripped open by pulse fire, the glint in his eyes going dull. Scorpius had Aeryn in a vice-tight grip by her neck, his pulse pistol pointed now at her throat. The half-breed's bad teeth shown through his mask in a feral grin.  
  
"I knew you would come this way eventually," crooned the black- costumed monstrosity. "We've had a sensor lock on your ship since it landed." None of this surprised John because Scorpy had always seemed to stay at least one step ahead of the human and his friends. "In spite of our inability to breech its defenses, I assure you, you won't be getting out this way."  
  
John's mind raced. Crais was dead, but there was still hope for Aeryn. How could he get Aeryn out of Scorpy's grasp and still get away with her? Would they be able to take off? Was Scorpy bluffing? If not, where were his commandos, his back-up?  
  
"I knew this would happen." Aeryn's words surprised both men, but caused Scorpius to chuckle.  
  
John took a step forward, ready to stave off any more recriminations.  
  
"You've killed us all, Crichton," Aeryn continued, emotion beginning to form on her face. John didn't like what he saw, but she pressed on. "I never should have trusted you with this much responsibility. I knew you couldn't handle it. Now we'll all have to pay for your failures."  
  
John finally recognized the emotion on Aeryn's face. It was disgust.  
  
Scorpy allowed the Sebacean woman to continue her rant. The half- Scarran could clearly see the pain it was causing the human. Perhaps it would subdue Crichton's will, making it that much easier to break him later. The human and his friends had certainly sabotaged the worm hole information in the carrier's computer, not knowing how truly incomplete it was. At least Scorpius could have another opportunity to unlock the information in Crichton's mind.  
  
John could advance no further, Aeryn's words keeping him at bay.  
  
"Crais is already dead because of your ineptitude. Not to mention Zhaan."  
  
Winona felt heavier than usual, but John fought to keep it pointed it at Scorpy, in spite of the crushing weight of Aeryn's words on his heart.  
  
"I knew you weren't the same."  
  
John's eyes and throat burned, but he refused to let tears form. Aeryn's speech shredded his heart. He knew finally he'd never be John Crichton to her again... not the real John Crichton, not her John Crichton.  
  
"Fine," he told Scorpius, eliciting a grim smile from the half-breed.  
  
"You've made a wise decision, John." Scorpy retained his grip on Aeryn, the pulse pistol resting against her neck.  
  
John tried to hold his emotions in check as he continued. "No, Scorpy, you don't get it." He took a step back, towards the Growler, to illustrate his point. "I'm not giving up. I'm giving in. You can have her. I'm throwing in the towel."  
  
Aeryn's eyes blazed with unabashed hatred, spurring John to continue what he'd started.  
  
"We knew it would never work. I'm sick of trying." Another step back. "I don't know why I deluded myself so long." Another step. "I have to let go." Back. "Bye, Aeryn."  
  
Aeryn exploded within Scorpy's grasp. "I knew you were the copy!"  
  
"Copy?" Scorpius' query was drowned out by the female in spite of his grip on her neck.  
  
"The real Crichton would never have given up, no matter what. He always finished the fight even if it killed him. You're just a defective shadow of the man he was."  
  
Scorpius' features changed as he tried to absorb this new information. This was a copy of Crichton? Was it truly defective? Where was the real Crichton?  
  
John watched the by-play on Scorpy's masked face and steeled himself against Aeryn's harsh outcry. The Growler was only a few feet away now, still quiet, but John had to time this just right. D'Argo, wounded but still, John hoped, in control, should be able to take off. He just hoped that his friend would be able to blast the hanger door open and escape.  
  
The pulse pistol's barrel dropped and John's muscles all fired at once. He was surprised to see that time really did slow over the next few microts.  
  
John charged Scorpy. Aeryn spun to avoid the human. Scorpy raised his weapon instinctively toward the new threat.  
  
Coming into contact with Scorpius, John yelled, "Aeryn, run!"  
  
A flash of yellow light, then a loud rumble, and John knew D'Argo had the Grower's engines fired up.  
  
Aeryn's voice cried out, "No!" then boots pounded the deck, and John hoped that meant that Aeryn was running to board the Luxan ship.  
  
He wondered briefly, 'no' what? Then his legs gave out and he collapsed in front of Scorpius, dread mixing strangely with relief in his thoughts. At least the research information was destroyed, he thought.  
  
The Growler took off. Heat ran over John's body when Scorpy grabbed him and D'Argo shot through the hanger door. John felt himself being dragged against the flow of decompressing atmosphere and wondered briefly why he didn't try to get away.  
  
But as the atmosphere suddenly began to stabilize around him, all thoughts and questions ceased and John Crichton, the only John Crichton, died.  
  
  
  
Sequel summery:  
  
Scorpy reinitialized the atmospheric field in the landing bay and got John to the only medical help available-his own carrier's med facilities. The computer damage was localized to command structures and special projects. Information on John stored in the computer is vital in stabilizing John and regenerating his physiology. His injuries are localized to right side torso, ribs, liver, lung, muscle tissue, blood vessels-all are regenerated artificially, but lead to John's recovery over a period of only weekens.  
  
Aeryn, w/D'Argo, returns to Moya, after realizing that this John is the same as the John she lost. Now she has to face losing him again, sacrificing himself for the sake of his friends even though she did her best to convince him not to. She had broken her own heart when she tried convincing him that she really believed that he was a copy and a complete incompetent. That it seemed to be working killed her, but she was just hoping he'd take the hint and run. She never expected him to lash out at her, or turn around and save her. What had she done?  
  
Harvey talks to John in recovery, telling him to give up. He knows by now that John will do exactly the opposite of whatever he suggests, so he tries to convince John that Aeryn will always hate him, never love him, and he's once again Scorpius' prisoner. 


End file.
